Gen 2:7-8; the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
God is a creative being. It is who he is. He creates and he is dynamic and creative. He takes great pleasure in making and creating things and then enjoying what he has made. We are made in his image and bear his mark; therefore, we also are creative beings who carry that dynamic creative spark. One of the beautiful gifts that God has given us is the gift of being co-creators. And like God, when we create things we can enjoy them and draw deep satisfaction from them and declare – it is good!
Sometimes in a narrow Christians view we limit co-creating to just having babies and multiplying. That is part of our mandate and it is a significant part of the human story. It is incredible to think that we have the capacity to create an eternal being! Yet that is not the full story and our co-creating with God is much broader than just having children. We are all co-creators with God, no matter if we are single or married or divorced or male or female. Human beings have created things of stunning beauty in the arts, music, construction, literature and so on. All of those things reflect God’s character and heart for creativity.
One of the most significant areas of being a co-creator is that of forming a dynamic community with other humans, and more specifically with fellow Christians. We need each other to create beauty in community that can then reflect and impact positively the world around us. We each have unique gifts and things to add to the collective and just like instruments in an orchestra we all add to the beauty of the whole.
Similarly as we live our out faith beyond our church in our varied roles we can be part of creating justice and goodness and love and compassion as God made, and Spirit filled co-creators. Yet equally we can use our creativity for destructive or selfish means. Sadly we see this in many of the dark places in our culture and even in our own lives. Jesus came to bring life and life to the full. God is going to create a new heaven and earth. We have so much to look forward to and enjoy with him beyond this life that we can’t even imagine. In the meantime, let’s co-create with God using the gifts and passions he has given us in a way that brings restoration and redemption and healing as the body of Christ.
Grace and Peace - Garry